TALE OF THE TAPE

Week 10: New York Jets At Seattle Seahawks

Jets

Seahawks

Quarterback

Few teams have had issues at the quarterback position the way the Jets have this season. Mark Sanchez is not an accurate passer by NFL standards and there is no reason to think that he will get any better over the short term or long term. Unfortunately for the Jets, backup quarterback Tim Tebow is an even less accurate passer than Sanchez.

Winner
Russell Wilson is performing well for the Seahawks, especially when they play at home. Wilson is an excellent athlete who reads defenses well and generally makes the right decision. That’s a big factor for any quarterback. While he does not have the strongest arm, it’s good enough for the Seahawks to move the ball consistently when he’s throwing to open receivers.

Offense

The Jets have not had a lot of success on the offensive end, but when they have been able to move the ball it’s because they have had the semblance of a running attack. Shonn Greene has rushed for 517 yards this season, but the Jets would like to see him improve on his 3.7 yards per carry. Jeremy Kerley has caught 30 passes this season but he lacks breakaway ability.

Winner
The Seahawks want to establish the ground game. Marshawn Lynch has had the reputation of being an up-and-down performer, but he has rushed 881 yards through nine games and he has an average of 4.8 yards per carry. Sidney Rice is a gamebreaking receiver who can run by and get over the top of the defense. Golden Tate has shown toughness but his route running is below par.

Defense

Winner
The Jets have more than enough talent to slow down the Seahawks. They are competing hard without All-Pro cornerback Darelle Revis. Outside linebacker David Harris is a dependable tackler while hard-hitting safety LaRon Landry can punish opposing ball carriers. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie is one of the best cover corners in the league.

The Seahawks will come after Mark Sanchez with a nasty pass rush. The best of the Seattle pass rushers is defensive end Chris Clemons who has 7.0 sacks, but he did not get to the quarterback in Seattle’s Week Nine win over the Vikings. Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner is quite underrated. He had 10 tackles and 1.0 sack against the Vikings

Special Teams

Winner
The Jets are not afraid to take chances on special teams. Mike Westhoff has been one of the most competitive special teams coaches in the NFL and as he leads his last unit before retiring, he is not afraid to line Tebow up as a personal protector on the punt team and then have him throw a pass out of punt formation.

Winner
This could be one of the better special teams matchups of the season. Former Jet Leon Washington would love to pay back his old team, even though he has been in Seattle since the start of the 2010 season. Placekicker Steven Hauschka has made 15-of-18 field goal attempts and has not missed an attempt of less than 50 yards.

The Winner Is

WinnerSeahawks

3 out of 4

The Jets are coming off a bye week and they need this game badly. Their defense should be able to slow down Wilson, but can Sanchez give them enough production so they can go across country and steal this game? That is highly debatable and this game could come down to one big play late in the game. The loud home crowd gives the Seahawks an edge.